Belluci pulls off another upset by dumping Tsitsipas out in Rotterdam

Stefanos Tsitsipas (26) became the latest victim of an extraordinary run by Mattia Bellucci (23) at the Rotterdam Open Friday, as the Italian qualifier marched into the semi-finals with a 6-4, 6-2 upset.World number 12 Tsitsipas never got to grips with Bellucci’s left-handed serve and combination of flat backhands and heavy top-spin forehands, interspersed with well-disguised drop shots.He proved a real handful for Tsitsipas in the first set, retrieving impressively and surprising the Greek player with heavily sliced drop shots.After breaking Tsitsipas at 4-4, Bellucci made no mistake serving out the set, saving a break point on the way and sealing the game as his opponent pushed a backhand long.The sixth-seeded Tsitsipas’s struggles continued early in the second set, as Bellucci broke serve and raced into a 3-1 lead, again drawing his opponent out with a clever drop shot.Tsitsipas was the architect of his own downfall in his next service game, giving up a second break of serve with a double fault on break point.He saved a match point at 5-1 down, as he had done in the previous round against local hero Tallon Griekspoor, but there was no miracle escape this time as Bellucci served out the match to love, taking the acclaim of an appreciative crowd.Awaiting Bellucci in the semi-final is Australia’s Alex De Minaur, last year’s runner-up, who wasted no time in swatting aside German lucky loser Daniel Altmaier 6-1, 6-4.